Awards

Staff Pick

Both a cautionary tale for bad men and a clarion call for unhappy women, Gone Girl is a compelling page-turner that does not let up. Every few pages another bombshell drops, and the tension is exquisite! While Nick Dunne lackadaisically plans to show up for his fifth-wedding-anniversary celebration, his wife, Amy, has gone to the usual lengths by preparing poetry, a clue-filled treasure hunt, and a year-appropriate gift. There's obviously a slight disparity in their views on the occasion, and in fact, there is disparity in everything in the Dunnes' marriage. When Nick comes home to the scene of a struggle and his wife has disappeared, the nightmare to follow is miles beyond anything he imagines. Chilling, smart, and absolutely humming with barely contained panic, Gone Girl is one fast-paced, thrilling read you shouldn't miss.Recommended by Dianah, Powells.com

Gone Girl is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and terrifying thriller written by Gillian Flynn. The story follows husband Nick Dunne as he searches for his wife, Amy, when she disappears on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary. When the media paints Nick as the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance, he must figure out what happened to her or face dire consequences. Alternating points of view between Nick and Amy's diary create a mystery that will keep even the biggest fans of the genre guessing until the last page.Recommended by Stefani, Powells.com

In Gone Girl, Flynn finds a way to crawl inside the dark places in your mind, sets up camp, and proceeds to tell ghost stories. By the time the fire dies, you can't remember why you invited her. This book was freezer worthy. If you have a significant other, you'll be sleeping in the guest room with the door closed and locked.Recommended by Desiree, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Marriage can be a real killer.

One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work "draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction."Gone Girl's toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media — as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents — the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter — but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Review:

"There's the evil you can see coming — and then there's Amy Elliott. Superficially, this privileged Gotham golden girl, inspiration for her psychologist-parents' bestselling series of children's books, couldn't be further from the disturbingly damaged women of Edgar-finalist Flynn's first two books, Sharp Objects and Dark Places. But as Amy's husband, Nick Dunne, starts to realize after she disappears from their rented mansion in his Missouri hometown on their fifth anniversary — and he becomes the prime suspect in her presumed murder — underestimating Amy's sick genius and twisted gamesmanship could prove fatal. Then again, charmer Nick may not be quite the corn-fed innocent he initially appears. Flynn masterfully lets this tale of a marriage gone toxically wrong gradually emerge through alternating accounts by Nick and Amy, both unreliable narrators in their own ways. The reader comes to discover their layers of deceit through a process similar to that at work in the imploding relationship. Compulsively readable, creepily unforgettable, this is a must read for any fan of bad girls and good writing. Agent: Stephanie Rostan, Levine Greenberg." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review:

"A perfect wife's disappearance plunges her husband into a nightmare as it rips open ugly secrets about his marriage and, just maybe, his culpability in her death....One of those rare thrillers whose revelations actually intensify its suspense instead of dissipating it. The final pages are chilling." Kirkus (starred review)

Review:

"[W]hat looks like a straightforward case of a husband killing his wife to free himself from a bad marriage morphs into something entirely different in Flynn's hands. As evidenced by her previous work (Sharp Objects, 2006, and Dark Places, 2009), she possesses a disturbing worldview, one considerably amped up by her twisted sense of humor. Both a compelling thriller and a searing portrait of marriage, this could well be Flynn's breakout novel. It contains so many twists and turns that the outcome is impossible to predict." Booklist (starred review)

Review:

"Flynn cements her place among that elite group of mystery/thriller writers who unfailingly deliver the goods....Once again Flynn has written an intelligent, gripping tour de force, mixing a riveting plot and psychological intrigue with a compelling prose style that unobtrusively yet forcefully carries the reader from page to page." Library Journal (starred review)

Review:

"Gone Girl is one of the best — and most frightening — portraits of psychopathy I've ever read. Nick and Amy manipulate each other — with savage, merciless and often darkly witty dexterity. This is a wonderful and terrifying book about how the happy surface normality and the underlying darkness can become too closely interwoven to separate." Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of Faithful Place and Into the Woods

Review:

"The plot has it all. I have no doubt that in a year's time I'm going to be saying that this is my favorite novel of 2012. Brilliant." Kate Atkinson,New York Times bestselling author of Started Early, Took My Dog and Case Histories

Review:

"Gone Girl builds on the extraordinary achievements of Gillian Flynn's first two books and delivers the reader into the claustrophobic world of a failing marriage. We all know the story, right? Beautiful wife disappears; husband doesn't seem as distraught as he should be under the circumstances. But Flynn takes this sturdy trope of the 24-hour news cycle and turns it inside out, providing a devastating portrait of a marriage and a timely, cautionary tale about an age in which everyone's dreams seem to be imploding." Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Dangerous Thing and I'd Know You Anywhere

Review:

"Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl is like Scenes from a Marriage remade by Alfred Hitchcock, an elaborate trap that's always surprising and full of characters who are entirely recognizable. It's a love story wrapped in a mystery that asks the eternal question of all good relationships gone bad: How did we get from there to here?" Adam Ross, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Peanut

Review:

"Just this minute I finished a week of feeling betrayed, misled, manipulated, provoked, and misjudged, not to mention having all my expectations confounded. Considering how compulsively I kept coming back for more, I am seriously thinking of going back to page one and doing it all again." Arthur Phillips, author of The Tragedy of Arthur

Review:

"I cannot say this urgently enough: you have to read Gone Girl. It's as if Gillian Flynn has mixed us a martini using battery acid instead of vermouth and somehow managed to make it taste really, really good. Gone Girl is delicious and intoxicating and delightfully poisonous. It's smart (brilliant, actually). It's funny (in the darkest possible way). The writing is jarringly good, and the story is, well...amazing. Read the book and you'll discover — among many other treasures — just how much freight (and fright) that last adjective can bear." Scott Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan

Review:

"Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl reminds me of Patricia Highsmith at the top of her game. With Gone Girl, she's placed herself at the top of the short list of authors who have mastered the art of crafting a tense story with terrifyingly believable characters." Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Fallen

Review:

"Gone Girl manages to be so many stellar things all at once — suspenseful, inventive, chilling, funny, unsettling — as well as beautifully plotted and fiercely well-written. Gillian Flynn is a thrilling writer." Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man

Review:

"Reminds suspense readers of the old Alfred Hitchcock stories....This is one puzzle you do not want to miss." Amy Lignor, Suspense Magazine

Review:

"Gone Girl is a superbly constructed, ingeniously paced and absolutely terrifying. You begin by thinking that all marriages are a bit like this: they start with high hopes and get bogged down in nagging and money worries. But then the psycho-drama creeps up on you with chilling power. A five-star suspense mystery." A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest (UK)

Review:

"Gone Girl is as skillfully creepy as her previous work....A chilling, stylish read about another unknowable woman." Elle (UK)

Review:

"The married duo in Gillian Flynn's superb third novel takes the idea of unreliable narrators to a whole new level. When Nick Dunne's lovely wife Amy is violently abducted on their fifth wedding anniversary, the police and the press immediately put Nick in the frame for her murder. Amy's friends testify that she was afraid of her husband, and the missing woman's diary backs up their impressions. Nick's computer is full of inexplicable searches, his mobile phone is plagued by mysterious calls and his own inner monologue offers a darker perspective on amazing Amy and the state of their turbulent marriage. Flynn keeps the accelerator firmly to the floor, ratcheting up the tension with wildly unexpected plot twists, contradictory stories and the tantalizing feeling that nothing is as it seems. Deviously good." Marie Claire (UK)

About the Author

Gillian Flynn is the author of the New York Times bestseller Dark Places, which was a New Yorker Reviewers' Favorite, Weekend TODAY Top Summer Read, Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2009, and Chicago Tribune Favorite Fiction choice; and the Dagger Award winner Sharp Objects, which was an Edgar nominee for Best First novel, a BookSense pick, and a Barnes & Noble Discover selection. Her work has been published in twenty-eight countries. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

PinkPants, October 23, 2014 (view all comments by PinkPants)
This is a must read BEFORE you watch the movie! This book will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat as you try to figure what happened before the book unfolds.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)

Both a cautionary tale for bad men and a clarion call for unhappy women, Gone Girl is a compelling page-turner that does not let up. Every few pages another bombshell drops, and the tension is exquisite! While Nick Dunne lackadaisically plans to show up for his fifth-wedding-anniversary celebration, his wife, Amy, has gone to the usual lengths by preparing poetry, a clue-filled treasure hunt, and a year-appropriate gift. There's obviously a slight disparity in their views on the occasion, and in fact, there is disparity in everything in the Dunnes' marriage. When Nick comes home to the scene of a struggle and his wife has disappeared, the nightmare to follow is miles beyond anything he imagines. Chilling, smart, and absolutely humming with barely contained panic, Gone Girl is one fast-paced, thrilling read you shouldn't miss.

by Dianah

"Staff Pick"
by Stefani,

Gone Girl is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and terrifying thriller written by Gillian Flynn. The story follows husband Nick Dunne as he searches for his wife, Amy, when she disappears on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary. When the media paints Nick as the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance, he must figure out what happened to her or face dire consequences. Alternating points of view between Nick and Amy's diary create a mystery that will keep even the biggest fans of the genre guessing until the last page.

by Stefani

"Staff Pick"
by Desiree,

In Gone Girl, Flynn finds a way to crawl inside the dark places in your mind, sets up camp, and proceeds to tell ghost stories. By the time the fire dies, you can't remember why you invited her. This book was freezer worthy. If you have a significant other, you'll be sleeping in the guest room with the door closed and locked.

by Desiree

"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"There's the evil you can see coming — and then there's Amy Elliott. Superficially, this privileged Gotham golden girl, inspiration for her psychologist-parents' bestselling series of children's books, couldn't be further from the disturbingly damaged women of Edgar-finalist Flynn's first two books, Sharp Objects and Dark Places. But as Amy's husband, Nick Dunne, starts to realize after she disappears from their rented mansion in his Missouri hometown on their fifth anniversary — and he becomes the prime suspect in her presumed murder — underestimating Amy's sick genius and twisted gamesmanship could prove fatal. Then again, charmer Nick may not be quite the corn-fed innocent he initially appears. Flynn masterfully lets this tale of a marriage gone toxically wrong gradually emerge through alternating accounts by Nick and Amy, both unreliable narrators in their own ways. The reader comes to discover their layers of deceit through a process similar to that at work in the imploding relationship. Compulsively readable, creepily unforgettable, this is a must read for any fan of bad girls and good writing. Agent: Stephanie Rostan, Levine Greenberg." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Review"
by Kirkus (starred review),
"A perfect wife's disappearance plunges her husband into a nightmare as it rips open ugly secrets about his marriage and, just maybe, his culpability in her death....One of those rare thrillers whose revelations actually intensify its suspense instead of dissipating it. The final pages are chilling."

"Review"
by Booklist (starred review),
"[W]hat looks like a straightforward case of a husband killing his wife to free himself from a bad marriage morphs into something entirely different in Flynn's hands. As evidenced by her previous work (Sharp Objects, 2006, and Dark Places, 2009), she possesses a disturbing worldview, one considerably amped up by her twisted sense of humor. Both a compelling thriller and a searing portrait of marriage, this could well be Flynn's breakout novel. It contains so many twists and turns that the outcome is impossible to predict."

"Review"
by Library Journal (starred review),
"Flynn cements her place among that elite group of mystery/thriller writers who unfailingly deliver the goods....Once again Flynn has written an intelligent, gripping tour de force, mixing a riveting plot and psychological intrigue with a compelling prose style that unobtrusively yet forcefully carries the reader from page to page."

"Review"
by Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of Faithful Place and Into the Woods,
"Gone Girl is one of the best — and most frightening — portraits of psychopathy I've ever read. Nick and Amy manipulate each other — with savage, merciless and often darkly witty dexterity. This is a wonderful and terrifying book about how the happy surface normality and the underlying darkness can become too closely interwoven to separate."

"Review"
by Kate Atkinson,New York Times bestselling author of Started Early, Took My Dog and Case Histories,
"The plot has it all. I have no doubt that in a year's time I'm going to be saying that this is my favorite novel of 2012. Brilliant."

"Review"
by ,
"Gone Girl builds on the extraordinary achievements of Gillian Flynn's first two books and delivers the reader into the claustrophobic world of a failing marriage. We all know the story, right? Beautiful wife disappears; husband doesn't seem as distraught as he should be under the circumstances. But Flynn takes this sturdy trope of the 24-hour news cycle and turns it inside out, providing a devastating portrait of a marriage and a timely, cautionary tale about an age in which everyone's dreams seem to be imploding." Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Dangerous Thing and I'd Know You Anywhere

"Review"
by Adam Ross, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Peanut,
"Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl is like Scenes from a Marriage remade by Alfred Hitchcock, an elaborate trap that's always surprising and full of characters who are entirely recognizable. It's a love story wrapped in a mystery that asks the eternal question of all good relationships gone bad: How did we get from there to here?"

"Review"
by Arthur Phillips, author of The Tragedy of Arthur,
"Just this minute I finished a week of feeling betrayed, misled, manipulated, provoked, and misjudged, not to mention having all my expectations confounded. Considering how compulsively I kept coming back for more, I am seriously thinking of going back to page one and doing it all again."

"Review"
by Scott Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan,
"I cannot say this urgently enough: you have to read Gone Girl. It's as if Gillian Flynn has mixed us a martini using battery acid instead of vermouth and somehow managed to make it taste really, really good. Gone Girl is delicious and intoxicating and delightfully poisonous. It's smart (brilliant, actually). It's funny (in the darkest possible way). The writing is jarringly good, and the story is, well...amazing. Read the book and you'll discover — among many other treasures — just how much freight (and fright) that last adjective can bear."

"Review"
by Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Fallen,
"Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl reminds me of Patricia Highsmith at the top of her game. With Gone Girl, she's placed herself at the top of the short list of authors who have mastered the art of crafting a tense story with terrifyingly believable characters."

"Review"
by Kate Christensen, author of The Great Man,
"Gone Girl manages to be so many stellar things all at once — suspenseful, inventive, chilling, funny, unsettling — as well as beautifully plotted and fiercely well-written. Gillian Flynn is a thrilling writer."

"Review"
by Amy Lignor, Suspense Magazine,
"Reminds suspense readers of the old Alfred Hitchcock stories....This is one puzzle you do not want to miss."

"Review"
by A.N. Wilson, Reader's Digest (UK),
"Gone Girl is a superbly constructed, ingeniously paced and absolutely terrifying. You begin by thinking that all marriages are a bit like this: they start with high hopes and get bogged down in nagging and money worries. But then the psycho-drama creeps up on you with chilling power. A five-star suspense mystery."

"Review"
by Elle (UK),
"Gone Girl is as skillfully creepy as her previous work....A chilling, stylish read about another unknowable woman."

"Review"
by Marie Claire (UK),
"The married duo in Gillian Flynn's superb third novel takes the idea of unreliable narrators to a whole new level. When Nick Dunne's lovely wife Amy is violently abducted on their fifth wedding anniversary, the police and the press immediately put Nick in the frame for her murder. Amy's friends testify that she was afraid of her husband, and the missing woman's diary backs up their impressions. Nick's computer is full of inexplicable searches, his mobile phone is plagued by mysterious calls and his own inner monologue offers a darker perspective on amazing Amy and the state of their turbulent marriage. Flynn keeps the accelerator firmly to the floor, ratcheting up the tension with wildly unexpected plot twists, contradictory stories and the tantalizing feeling that nothing is as it seems. Deviously good."

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